a few more photos...

The team playing the thai version of duck-duck- goose with the kids

The boys having a great time in the water

Zara and friends

Little village girl

Not that different.....(by Amanda)

I think there is this settling in thing that happens when you are in another country for 2 months. At first you are on a bit of a high, noticing everything that is new and different and amazing and taking it all in. You have lots of energy and enthusiasm and are willing to jump in and work with all you’ve got. You’re fascinated by the culture, the language, the different foods (spicy seafood potato chips anyone??) Then there is a bit of a shift that happens. You start to settle in and realize, ok, I’m going to be here for a while. This is starting to feel more like real life. I’m starting to come down from the high and my energy isn’t quite so strong anymore.
I think this is where I am at and I also sense this settling in our team. The roosters and crazy barking dogs are more a way of life, the language doesn’t catch you off guard as much, the food seems normal and having rice at every meal is now what you expect. You get used to talking in broken English and making large hand gestures to communicate. You are used to being stared at and also laughed at. It’s all just the normal way of life here.
I like being able to come to other countries for longer periods of time because this settling seems important. It’s not as easy to romanticize another place when you are there long enough to feel some frustration. The joy you noticed in the people at the beginnig is still there, but you also start to notice the sadness too. You start to realize that people really are all the same and the same problems that exist at home exist here too.
And it’s good to see these things. It makes the people here more human and me more human. It makes me realize we are all just doing our best to cope with life day to day, deal with our problems, love our family and the people in our lives, work hard at our jobs and develop some sort of meaning.
I had a long talk with my friend here the other night. The sun had gone down, the moon and the stars were shining bright and we just stood breathing in the cool night air and sharing our souls. She helps manage the youth center here. She also is just working hard to take care of her 3 kids, love her husband, and manage her friendships well. As we talked I just got this overwhelming feeling of solidarity with her. Our lives look so different on the outside, our cultures have just a little bit in common, we are clearly from different worlds, but life and the struggles are so much the same. How do I stay true to the things God has called me to? How do I take care of my children and balance my own life and desires with caring for them? How do I deal with relational difficulties in my work? How do I live faithfully and maintain joy even when things are hard?
And so the journey continues to live well and love well, whether across the world in Thailand or sitting in my home in Seattle. May God grant us the courage to feel deeply and be responsive to the calling and desires he has place in each of our hearts. And may we encourage others in our lives to do the same.

Lately (by Zach)

This past week has been a good one. Last Sunday night our students spent the night in a village. It went really well for them. It wasn’t too primitive (they had electricity), but it was a good first experience in a village.

The next morning I picked them up and we all went fishing—but not like any fishing that I’ve done before. On the way back from the village we stopped at a small river (maybe 2 feet deep at the most). The way the people in the village fish is basically this: weight down a large tarp in the river, keeping one edge of the tarp out of the water. Then we essentially walked on our hands and knees towards the tarp in the water, herding the fish towards the tarp. Once we got to the tarp we lift it up, sorting out the rocks and keeping the fish. We did this over and over until we had walked upstream probably a ½ mile or so. By the end, we had caught a lot of fish. Then we stopped, built a fire, and roasted the fish over the fire. As I stopped to look around, I was in awe of the scene around me… In the middle of nowhere in Thailand, being guided by a man who we didn’t share a single word of language with, beautiful hills surrounding me, perfect stillness. It was really a moment to treasure. I was thinking about how it contrasted with the busy-ness of life back home. It made me realize again what a privilege it is for us to get to lead these teams and go on these trips.

The rest of the week was spent finishing up some concrete work, and then spending some time playing with the kids here. We only have one more week here in Chiang Rai before we head south to Chiang Mai for the final month of our time in Thailand.

I feel so privileged to work here with Pastor Luka. I think this is the 7th team that YWAM Seattle has sent here, and it feels so great to partner with a ministry that is doing so many amazing things. Because the nature of our trip is short-term, it’s nice to know that we’re partnering with a ministry that is working toward the long-term good of so many people. Luka’s vision for his people is broad and far-reaching, and yet incredibly focused. He realizes that for people in Akha villages to be successful, they need to grow in so many different ways. They need to hear, know, and live out the Gospel, but they also need very practical things—nutrition programs, better health-care, ways to generate income, better education. And he’s doing things that are effecting change in all of those areas. It’s been great to come back here over the past few years and see all the progress that is being made.

Zara has been a bit of a challenge the past few days—not sleeping so well and being a bit cranky during the day. Nothing too bad, but harder than she’s been so far on the trip. The kids are all really sweet with her, but i think sometimes she gets a bit overwhelmed with all the people grabbing her and wanting to hold her and touch her. If you could keep her and us in your prayers we’d appreciate it. You can also be praying for our team to keep its focus as we change locations (Feb 5th). As we approach the 2nd half of the trip, it’s quite easy to start thinking about home and lose sight of what we’re here to do.

zara has a crowd watching her wherever she goes!

eating ice cream and loving it

zara having fun with Luka's mom

making new friends....

Another blog to check out-

In case you're interested in reading more, our Thailand team is writing a blog with different team members taking turns writing posts. If you'd like to check it out, here is the address:
http://www.ywamseattle.org/outreach/thailand/

Settling In....(by Amanda)

We've been here in Thailand for about 10 days now and I think we're feeling settled into our life here. It has been so good to be here, especially reconnecting with friends and familiar faces from past visits. The first part of our trip we are living in northern Thailand in Chiang Rai which is a small town surrounded by many hill tribe villages. We are living at a youth center where kids from the villages are given the chance to live and receive education so that they will have a more hopeful future. We have worked at this center 3 other times so the kids know us and it's so fun to see how they've grown since the last time we saw them. Our team is helping to do various projects around the center....they worked in the tea field this week and pruned all 5000 plants....they have been working for 3 days laying cement in what is to be the new tea factory. The center has plans to process and sell the tea they are growing in order to create more income and become more self sustaining (right now many of the kids are supported monthly from people in the US) We are so happy to be able to be part of this work that is making a long term impact on the kids and their families and villages.

We have been enjoying lots of sun and warm weather!!! :) (we are not missing seattle weather right now) It has been so fun to be able to let Zara run around outside all day and to have freedom from being bound indoors. She is doing amazing. She is a real superstar here with everyone wanting to touch her smooth white skin. The kids at the center just love her and she has them playing ring around the rosie with her and singing jingle bells (her 2 favorites right now!) She welcomes everyone with her sweet little smile and is making friends very quickly. She is very entertained with having 60 kids to run around and play with! It has been neat to see this new world through her eyes and to see how she responds. She was tentative for about 2 days and then she settled in easily to this new community. She amazes me with her resilance to all this change.....

The pace of life is so different from what I am used to and I am finding it refreshing....well, now I am.... The first few days I felt irritated at the long days, lack of freedom (it's hard to communicate, I can't drive myself anywhere, I can't get on the internet to write home!) It's a strange feeling to be a foreigner and so out of control. It reminds me what the refugees I work with in Seattle must feel on a daily basis. It can be so tiring when the simplest task takes a long time to do. But yesterday as I was spending the morning with Zara while the team worked, I just sat and looked at her for a while. I stared at her little face and mouth, I listened really closely to what she was saying. I played with her and did whatever she wanted to do and just let her lead me. We walked around the yard, picked up rocks, took out all her toys, ate lunch and ice cream and it got all over her mouth and clothes and it was so nice that it didn't matter. We walked around in the dirt and ran under the sprinking hose and just enjoyed the day. And I found myself so happy and so content and noticing more and seeing more than I had in a long time....And I wouldn't trade this for anything.....

We made it....

Just wanted to write a quick note to let you know we made it to Thailand safely!! It was definitely a long trip, especially with Miss Zara.....I think she was very confused why we were on the plane for so long!! She didn't sleep very much during the trip so we were in constant entertainment mode, which got tiring, but thankfully our team helped us out a bit and gave her a change of scenery!
Overall, things went very smoothly.....except for one major mishap....we realized last night at 4am that we had left our computer on the plane!!! a few moments of panic but we called the airlines right away this morning and they had found it and had it waiting for us.....Thank you Lord....
Our team did great during our travel and customs and immigration all went very smoothly. We had an orientation today and now we're just trying to stay awake until we can let ourselves go to bed. The time difference here is 15 hours ahead of Seattle.....
It is warm and sunny and it felt really neat waking up in a place that is so familiar to Zach and I and to be able to have Zara with us. Pray for her if you think of it, I can tell she is confused and a bit insecure. We are doing our best to reassure her and give her what she needs as she gets adjusted.
Thank you for your prayers and we will update as we can!

Counting Down....

Well, we leave for Thailand one week from today....It is hard to believe this time next week all our packing will be done and we will be sitting on the airplane on our way! There are many emotions as we prepare to go....sadness as we are ending this time in Seattle with our students and will be separating into 2 different teams....excitement as we will get to see friends that we have made in Thailand over the years....hopeful as I think of the adventures that await us....nervousness/anticipation as this will be our first time taking Zara to Asia.....dread as I think of 20 hours in a plane entertaining a 20 month old!!!
Please pray for us as you think of us this week. Of course there is much to do and many lists to check off.....many things to worry about as I try to sleep at night....and yet I hope to be present as we are still here and as we seek to end this season well and say goodbyes for a few months to those that we love.
We will be updating as regularly as we can while we are away.
Thanks for your prayers and for caring for us....

Learning to cook....

Here is Zara with her favorite Christmas present- her retro pink kitchen. She is loving it and has a great time making us cookie, coffee and eggs every day! We had a wonderful, relaxing Christmas in our home in Seattle. It was a special time for just the three of us to hang out and enjoy being together.

Advent Prayer (by Henri Nouwen)

Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do, seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy, seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking light.
To you we say, Come Lord Jesus....
Amen.

Christmas tree fun

We had a great time cutting down our Christmas tree with friends on Sunday. It was a beautiful day and there was snow on the ground and mountains all around. Zara had fun as well, although she thought it was very strange when we cut down a tree and then placed it in our house!

Day with Zara

Sorry for the avalanche of posts, but I guess there's a lot to say...

On Thursdays I (Zach) normally watch Zara, while Amanda does YWAM work. Today was an interesting day for Zara and I. Maybe you'll find it amusing. I wish I could show you some pictures of the day, but unfortunately our camera didn't have a memory card in...

Zara and I took the bus downtown, and the bus ride itself was a bit of an adventure. We were in a rush to get out of the house (of course), and I proceeded to get on the wrong bus. It didn't take us too far out of the way, but it added a bit of excitement to the day. So instead of one easy bus ride to get downtown it took us three confusing buses. By the time we got there, Zara was ready for some walking around. (As a sidenote here, Zara has just learned the word "Starbucks" but I'm going to try and weed it out of her vocabularly somehow.) It was fun to watch her walk down the sidewalk and just take everything in. She gets very distracted by people, and loves to watch them. We didn't really have much of an agenda other than walking around and maybe doing a little Christmas shopping. However we only made it to one store (Old Navy) because I quickly realized the futility of trying to shop with Zara and no stroller to strap her into. She's just too busy to sit still and let me look for anything.

After our "shopping" experience we were looking for something else to do when I saw a Carousel that is set up every year downtown for kids. She seemed really interested in it, so I thought it would be fun for her to ride it. I was definitely wrong. She hated it. In fact, they had to stop the ride to let us off because they thought Zara was about to go crazy. She rode her horse for approximately 13 seconds before jumping into my arms. At that point my only goal was to assure her that not all horses were as strange and crazy as these.

After that the trip (and the rest of the day) went rather smoothly. We made it home safely and later in the afternoon continued our weekly tradition of going to a cafe in Queen Anne to see our friend Rachel. It was a fun and eventful day.

Thailand team

Just wanted to pass along a picture of the team that will be going with us to Thailand. We leave January 8th or 9th, and will be returning in early March.

Jeremiah 29

This week we have one of my favorite speakers. His name is Ron Ruthruff, and he's the Director of Ministry and Program Development at a downtown Seattle street-youth drop in center called New Horizons Ministries.

The focus of the week has been two-fold: 1. Give our students a look at what life is like for kids living on the streets--specifically in Seattle. We watched a documentary called "Streetwise," which followed the lives of a few kids from Seattle who are living on the streets. We've been talking quite a bit about child & adolescent development, and the issues that these kids are facing--realizing that much of their formative years are being shaped very differently from those of us who have had parents around to help us navigate the confusing waters of adolescence. 2. Secondly, Ron has been spending quite a bit of time talking about cities--the formation of cities, issues in cities, and what our role as Christians can be to be a part of transformation in the cities we live in. It's too much to attempt to summarize here, but I really find these subjects fascinating. I find myself wanting to become more educated on the subjects--especially in terms of specific issues happening here in Seattle.

He uses a pretty extensive bibliography for his teaching, but there are a few main books that he references, if you're interested in checking them out:
The Corner
A Theology as Big as the City
The Prophetic Imagination

He also uses scripture extensively in his teaching, but one of the key ones is found in Jeremiah 29, where God commands the exiles to "seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." The main idea being that our welfare as individuals is intimately connected with the welfare of the community (city) around us.

It's been a good and challenging week. These last few weeks before Christmas are always difficult ones to maintain our focus. With the Christmas break approaching (along with our overseas outreaches) it can be quite diffiecult for all of us (students and staff alike) to really be present with all that is happening. We have to be on guard against "checking out" of all the activites we're involved with--teaching, small groups, outreaches in Seattle, etc.

Please be praying that we would have a strong finish to this portion of the DTS.

Dedication

Some of our YWAM students and I voluteered on Sunday to hand out water at the finish line of the Seattle Marathon. Why the city of Seattle decides to hold it's annual marathon during the rainiest month of the year is beyond my understanding, but despite pouring rain, the marathon went on!


Our job wasn't too hard handing out water (besides being very cold and wet), but I'm always amazed at the dedication of people that complete marathons. Especially on Sunday. Every runner was shivering and soaking, but continued to run for 26.2 miles just to finish and complete a goal. Made me think about how often I take the easy way out when things don't go as planned for me or when there are obstacles or frustrations in my way. I hope to be a person who continues to have perserverance and discipline in my life, even when things are very difficult and I feel like quitting.....

Happy (late) thanksgiving!

We had a great thanksgiving week. All of my family was here and we had a great time being together, relaxing, and allowing them to see more of our world here. Here is our little nephew Micah enjoying his first thanksgiving!
I have to brag about my husband for a second- Zach wanted to plan the thanksgiving meal this year and he did an amazing job! He's always been a good cook, but he really out did himself....planning the menu, shopping list and giving us all jobs to do in the kitchen. Since I plan so many of the YWAM meals, it was so nice to have him take over! Some of the highlights we had that day were apple-pomegranate cider, pumpkin soup, roasted red pepper dip, butternut squash cassoulet (yes, cassoulet, not casserole!) and of course an amazing turkey. Oh and some of the best gravy i have ever had besides my grandmas (I can never do gravy right!) Needless to say, we were all very impressed and I felt really thankful to have a husband who is such a good cook!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving day celebrating with family and friends....

Rain, Rain Go Away...

In case you haven’t seen the weather for Seattle recently, we are currently living up to our reputation that it rains all the time here. Usually when people say that, I just roll my eyes and brag about our beautiful summers and argue, “it really doesn’t rain THAT much here….” But this month is proving me wrong. So far in November we have had 11.2 inches of rain!!! Our average month of Nov. usually produes 5.9 inches, and we’ve had double that and are only half way through the month! It feels like we have a long winter ahead of us….it only makes me more thankful for our cozy little house and the warm fires that zach has been building in our fireplace almost daily. Despite the bad weather, I want to be thankful for all of the things that we DO have.

Last week I spent time volunteering at World Relief, which I do each week with a group of our students. World Relief is an agency that serves refugees and particularly in Seattle they help to resettle refugees when they arrive here and help place them in homes, teach them basic skills, and get them enrolled in English classes. Our job as volunteers is to help teach an English class each Thursday. Last week we were teaching parts of the body and to help we taught them the children’s song “head, shoulders, knees and toes”. I have to say it was hilarious to see the grown men especially singing the song along with us and doing the motions too! ☺ Each of the people we teach there has such a willingness to learn and gratefulness to us for helping to teach them. I feel it is the least we can do as so many of them have come from horrific circumstances and are now faced with tackling life in a new culture, away from everything familiar to them. They have more persistence and perseverance than I can imagine having.
After class, one of the women asked for my help in filling out some paper work for her child’s school. As I sat and talked with her I learned a little of her story. She had recently lost her husband to heart disease and had just moved here with her 2 children. She knows no one and can barely speak English. That day, she was faced with the impossible task of filling out a pile of paper work to enroll her children in school. Thankfully, since I am a native English speaker, this was an easy thing for me to be able to help her with. Left on her own, it would have taken her hours and hours to complete. I felt so much joy from being able to help in just a small way to relieve her of that burden, yet I am aware she has much bigger challenges facing her as she settles in to life here as a single mother in this strange land. Being able to help this woman reminded me of importance of acts of kindness to others in our path. So often I am so focused on my life or what I need to get done that I barely take time to notice those around me. I was reminded of the ability we have to help carry each other and relieve each others burdens and it challenged me to look for more ways to do that throughout my week. I came across a non-profit organization committed to spreading kindess- they can be found at actsofkindness.org. They have declared this particular week “World Kindness Week” so we challenged our students to each look for at least one opportunity this week to show kindness to those in their path. We are going to share our stories and experiences this Friday and I’m excited to hear about the creative ways that they find to show love.

End of a long week...

It's been a very full week for us. Our speaker for the week could only come for two days, so Monday and Tuesday we added a bunch of extra sessions to give him as much time as possible. We were pretty worn out after those days, and hoping for some rest towards the end of the week. Unfortunately though, a number of our students and staff have gotten quite sick (colds, flu, etc), so we've been spending quite a bit of time tending to them. This morning I (Zach) was at the hospital with one of our students who had been up all night throwing up... Not fun. She's ok, just very tired and a bit dehydrated.

This weekend should be good and restful. We're going away with our small group for the weekend. We get on the ferry late this afternoon, and we'll be getting back Sunday morning. You can be praying that we get the rest we need, and that we continue to get over the colds that we have. (Zach and Zara both have lingering colds.)

Overall, (aside from all the sickness) I feel like things are really progressing well with this group of students. We're really enjoying our time with them, and they seem to be getting a lot out of the teaching. They're quite eager to gain a better understanding of their faith, which is fun for us to be a part of.

We'll be leading a team to Thailand in January, and we'll be meeting with our team regularly starting next week. It'll be fun to start talking about that, and preparing for the trip. More details on that to follow...

Hello friends! We've decided to start this blog as a way to keep in touch with people who may be interested in what we're doing out here with YWAM Seattle. We'll try to update it regularly so you know what's going on with us...

new students

Here's a picture of our students and our staff... The picture is taken at Gasworks Park in Seattle.